Hurricane barrier repairs result in Fairhaven flooding

Flooding caught residents of low-lying areas off guard Thursday morning when the hurricane barrier gates remained open due to ongoing repairs and allowed a 5.3-foot storm surge into the harbor.

ARIEL WITTENBERG

FAIRHAVEN — Flooding caught residents of low-lying areas off guard Thursday morning when the hurricane barrier gates remained open due to ongoing repairs and allowed a 5.3-foot storm surge into the harbor.

Fairhaven officials say they were not notified that the repairs would debilitate the barrier's gates and thus were unprepared for the moderate flooding of low-lying areas near Main and Fort streets.

John McPhearson of the Army Corps of Engineers said the organization has been replacing wheels that roll out the 440-ton gates of the barrier in two shifts: one in the spring, before hurricane season, and one in the winter, after hurricane season.

During those repairs, he said, it is possible to "make the gate functional to close during a hurricane or major coastal storm" if there is enough warning to expedite repairs.

But McPhearson said the storm that swept across southwest New England Wednesday night "didn't reach" the level that would require such measures.

"We don't consider it a major coastal storm, so we were out of service this morning," he said. "The harbor did get a foot higher than we would like to see it."

McPhearson said the Army Corps sent out multiple notifications about the repairs, one in the spring, one after Hurricane Sandy and one on Dec. 19.

Those notifications were sent out by the Harbor Development Commission on an email list cultivated by the commission.

According to McPhearson, the most recent Dec. 19 email was sent to "remind people that the project was ongoing and that we wouldn't be able to do anything for the moon tides."

Port Director Jeffrey Stieb said the HDC sent an email to its list as the Army Corps directed and that the list included officials at Fairhaven Shipyard and the Fairhaven Police Department.

Neither Stieb nor McPhearson would release a copy of the email to The Standard-Times.

"We are a part of the notification system," Stieb said. He added that the HDC is "constantly reviewing and updating" the email list but that "just because we sent it, doesn't mean they received it."

Fairhaven Police Chief Michael Myers could not be reached for comment, but Fairhaven Executive Secretary Jeffrey Osuch said he spoke with Myers and Fire Department and Department of Public Works officials, all of whom said they had not received an email saying the barrier gates were inoperable.

"We did not know that the dike was not operational until after it flooded," he said. "None of us knew about this issue or we would have prepared."

It could not be determined whether New Bedford officials received notifications sent to them about the barrier's conditions. When asked, the mayor's spokeswoman referred questions back to Stieb.

Osuch said the last notification Fairhaven officials remember receiving about the barrier gates was during Hurricane Sandy.

"Ultimately, they closed the barrier then, so we have no reason to think they wouldn't do it now," he said. "If the Army Corps can notify the Harbor Development Commission, I don't see why they can't notify Fairhaven, too."

Stieb said the commission will be holding a meeting Jan. 7 to discuss who else should be added to its notification email list. The hurricane barrier gates will remain inoperable through Jan. 31.

While officials chase down the missing link in communication, Fairhaven residents are left with damages.

Ann Morton-Smith, who lives on Main Street, said the water was up to her house and up to the base of cars parked on the street. Reached at her home on Thursday afternoon, she said she had just returned from buying rain boots and sand bags in preparation for the evening's high tide.

"If they can't close it during a storm, we need some major notification," she said.

Jeffrey and Robin Canastra, who live on Paradise Drive in Fairhaven, said their dock was completely overtaken by the flood waters, which traveled up 10 feet of lawn before stopping at the wall of their sun room.

The waves swept away a small dinghy that had been left on the driveway, Jeffrey Canastra said.

The Canastras said their yard was last flooded in July when repairs to the barrier prevented it from closing. But unlike in July, they were not notified before Wednesday's storm.

"There's not much you can do for it; it's the price of living next to the water," Jeffrey said. "But if they told us, I would have tied down my dinghy."